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I would say if you are going to ever record anything or play gigs with it, get a small tube amp. You can mike them and they can cover anything well if it is a tried and true model like a tweed era type amp. If you just want a small, low maintenance amp to hear yourself at low volume, go microcube.
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11-11-2016 01:45 AM
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My absolute favorite little amp is a Fender Tweed Bronco, 1x8, 15 watts SS, weighs about 12 lbs., made in the 90's Also has a gain channel, which I use sometimes (gain never above 2) for a little hair. Got mine for $129 used.... Surprisingly loud for that size, easily handles a small gig too, but is feedback prone if not placed right. Also feels like a tube amp more than a lot of SS amps (at least to me). Good luck in your search!
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Anyone tried those 1 watt Blackstar amps?
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Whatever is decided, it will be a personal choice, but if it were me, I'd just get a cheap (but nice sounding) solid state amp. Since it's in an office, it should include a headphone jack. And just for fun, it should include a few effects.
Many amp and guitar shops I've visited over the years had dusty old solid state amps at the ready...always 'on'. No tubes or other stuff to break.
Following their lead, I found a barely used Roland GX80. It stays in the trunk of my car, at the ready for jams or band rehearsals. It's also powerful enough to act as a back up if my tube amp dies at a gig. YMMV.
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I'll +1 this advice. In terms of which one(s), look at the VOX AC4TV (no headphones jack on it though). Bugera V5 Infinium is a fantastic alternative and it's a total STEAL, provided you don't mind Behringer/Bugera brand.
Originally Posted by Bobby Marshall
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I'm pretty much a one-guitar, one amp guy: Ibanez Artcore VLS AF85 and a Polytone Mini Brute II. The Polytone works fine but I'm in cramped quarters nowadays and could use something smaller and with more tone variation. Nothing extravagant, but I do play some country and rockabilly and blues that could use a different flavor than the Polytone offers. Doesn't need to be loud.
Preferably under 200 bucks, though I could pay more for something that seemed ideal. Something I could sit atop a desk when in use (mainly making study-group videos) and shove under the desk when not would be convenient.Last edited by MarkRhodes; 12-05-2017 at 09:10 PM. Reason: spelling
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I've been very happy with my Kustom Tube 12A - A little smaller than a Blackface Champ, it has an 8" Celestion speaker, a gain switch (and a foot switch jack) a voicing switch, treble and bass controls, a line out, and a nice range of accessible tones; from warm, pristine cleans to a little hair up through as much raunch as you like, and a nice master volume to keep it in the family. No reverb or foot switch, but at the $110 I paid for it not that long ago, I liked it so much I went back and bought another. You can probably find one on the used market for reasonable dough. Good luck with your search.
Note: My ES-175 sounds warm and full through it, as does any other guitar I have tried with it. Knobs are for turning....
Last edited by citizenk74; 12-06-2017 at 12:49 AM.
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For small, light, portable, I really like my DV Mark Little Jazz. Great sound, 15 lb, loud enough to be easily heard at a loud blues jam. It may be a little more than you want to spend, but it's a nice amp. You might be able to find one used somewhere. Guitar Center sells them, but rarely has them in the store.
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For a small solid state practice amp, I'm a fan of the Roland Cube 40GX. They're all over Reverb.com in your price range. If you get the four-button footswitch for it, you'll have many effects options as well.
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I’ve owned or own like every jazz amp imaginable (acoustic image, quilter, mambo, henriksen, ZT lunchbox, sequel) but for pure practice the ZT Lunchbox Jr (Note: Jr) is my favorite. In cramped quarters, even more so.
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I just picked up a new Fender Mustang I for $120, and it's my new secret weapon. It'll model every Fender sound ever made, plus good reverbs, slapback, delays, and other usable effects...vintage Fender tremolo sound?...yes. It's much louder than expected, I played in a 4 piece rhythm section for six horns, I was heard...8" speaker. It's mostly to keep at home, it's going to be a lot of fun.
Good to see you back.
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I personally prefer the Fender Superchamp over the Mustangs (I owned both in the past)due to the clean real tube channel. The modeling channels also sound nice, probably similar or better than the Mustang.
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I second Yamaha THR: my choice would be a THR10C – great little amp! The “acoustic” and “bass” amp models give great jazz tones.
Otherwise, Mustangs are great value… I have a "Mustang I" that I bought for little more than a dinner out and it’s a perfectly good practice amp once you’ve set up a few sound “patches” (not difficult at all!). Buy an old “version 2” if you can (so your choice would be: Mustang Iv2).
PS: I also have the Super Champ X2. The sound is better than both Mustang and Yamaha but: (a) costs more, (b) it is less convenient for “cramped space”: you need to turn it up a bit to get good sound, weights more, no headphones, no “aux in”. I love mine, but it has been made redundant by the Yamaha and the Mustang. Also note: both Channels on the SCX2 are hybrid, if that matters to you.
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I really like the sound of my Crate GFX-15. I see them regularly on CL for about $40.
I bring it to big band rehearsals, put on a stand, and it's loud enough for the rehearsal. I wouldn't try it on a gig.
If you try one, wiggle the speaker wires - which are exposed. The amp is prone to problems where they join the PC board because they were made without strain relief. I had to resolder.
But, it's cheap and really does sound good.
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Yamaha THR5 or THR10/THR10C
The perfect travel/home/practice amp. Mains power or batteries, sounds and feels great to play, great built in effects, recording interface, doubles as a speakers/sound dock etc etc.
Doesn't look like backline or a stage amp so it can live in the house where other amps fear to tread.
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I have a Roland MicroCube ($150) and a Fender Champion 20 ($99). Both fit your price and size constraints. The C20 has the same sounds as the Mustang series, but isn't programmable (for me, that's a plus; I'm too scatterbrained for programmable gear). I'm happy with both.*
I've played the Vox VT15 a lot (programmable, so more comparable to the Mustang than my C20). I've also played the Vox mini 5. I think the Fender models sound a bit better, but the Vox is pretty good and is louder. The C20 has more clean headroom than the VT15. The Voxes I've played have a slight nasal resonant peak across all settings that I didn't like, but it's a subtle thing.
On balance I'd take what I have over either Vox. The C20 has been really useful - very small and light, but surprisingly loud and usable with bands.
*The input jack on my MC has gotten flaky after 8 years.
Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk
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Here's one I have, the Acoustic Lead Series G20. Has a aux. input for practicing with tracks, Gain/Volume, Bass, middle, treble. Very lightweight and straightforward to use. About $100 new, easily found used for less.
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While a bit above your quoted budget, I have good things to say about the Yamaha THR too. I have the 10 C version for Classic - it's supposed to cover jazz, blues, country, rock'n'roll/abilly up to heavy rock 70s kinds of sounds. There are a few quality demos on YouTube - by Jon Herington, a Nashville studio guy, and a giggling rock guy whose name escapes me but is fairly well-known and does an entertaining and informative demo. Jon gets some really nice sounds out of it and gives some good info about settings. All of the modeled amps behave differently. There are many possibilities and I was pretty much a beginner at amp settings and effects and I wish the manual had been more comprehensive. Personally, I like to play at whisper levels sometimes for practice and could often do with a simple Roland Cube or similar. But the THR has a lot more options when needed. I've used it nearly every day in the past three years. The more recent Katana line seems to be having huge success and is possibly a game changer, I'm not clear how they fare at low volumes though.
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Can't say enough about the ROland Microcube. Pretty much all of my YouTube videos from the last 3 years or so are this little guy. It's even battery powered (and they last pretty long!)
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I've got a little 5 watt Vox modelling amp. It's got several low-gain models which are pretty good. I am kind of intrigued by the MicroCube, though.
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I played the Vox and the Cube battery powered modelers back when I got my Cube.
Pretty sure I bought the Cube because it was on sale
Interestingly enough--my favorite model on the Cube for jazz is...you guessed it...a Vox model!
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It's the battery powered part that intrigues me. Is it loud enough to handle, say, a small outdoor gig?
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Would have to be really small, like an enclosed patio at a quieter restaurant or something...it wouldn't be my choice for something like that though-- I'd do the lunchbox and my Tech 21 "Blonde" pedal.
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Had a Lunchbox for a little while. Didn't like it.
Most of the time my Acoustic will do the job, but a month or so ago, I played an outdoor gig where finding an electrical outlet was a challenge. We found one eventually, but it was touch-and-go for a bit.
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Hey Mark, nice to see yah.
Yes, a Yamaha THR 10C is a worthy machine. A Jazzbow top pick.
Next a Micro Cube. If you Frankenstein it with a speaker bypass Jack you can use bigger speakers for fun and frolics. A Jazzbow stalwart pick
So lastly, thinking outside the box, how about a small practice bass amp! I picked up a Kustom KBA 16 from a pawn shop for £1.00.
It was being sold as a damaged piece. A quick try out I realised the pots were just dirty.
So it has bass, treble, mid low and mid high and it sounds nice with an archtop. I bought a Zoom MS 50G which has over 130 pre sets including classic amplifier settings. So I have a 16 watt practice amp with many virtual pedal combinations that has many uses all for £90. A Jazzbow surprize shocker!
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